Solvent filter for garment dry cleaning machines



June 20, 1967 u. PRANOVI 3,326,383

SOLVENT FILTER FOR GARMENT DRY CLEANING MACHINES Filed April 8, 1964United States Patent Claims. or. 210-407 This invention relates tosolvent filters for garment dry cleaning machines.

The conventional solvent filters used at present in garment dry cleaningmachines have the disadvantage that they require after a number ofwashing cycles of the machine a cleaning involving a stopping of themachine. This operation is absolutely indispensable because with a dirtysolvent filter the garment cleaning is not accomplished satisfactorily.For this reason the known cleaning machines, while often equipped with asubstantial number of automatic devices, cannot be considered as fullyautomatically operating machines. In addition to the disadvantage ofstopping the machine, there is also the possibility of careless slips inperforming the cleaning operation and even of forgetfulness.

This invention obviates said disadvantage by providing a self-cleaningsolvent filter without any need of an intervention by an operator. Thus,the solvent filter, at each new cleaning cycle, starts really clean andin addition assures a continuous operation of the machine over anindefinite number of cycles without requiring to stop the machine forcleaning the filter.

The solvent filter according to the invention is characterized in thatit comprises a housing disposed above the distiller housing andcommunicating with the inside of the distiller through an opening in thedistiller housing, a filtering body disposed inside the housing,supported by a rod carrying at the lower side a valve adapted to closethe opening in the distiller housing, and extending at the upper sidethrough the top wall of the filter housing, a spring interposed betweenthe top wall of the filter housing and an abutment secured to the rodcarrying the filtering body, outside the filter housing, means disposedadjacent the upper end of the rod adapted to impart intermittent blowsto the rod, an abutment 0n the filter housing, and an abutmentcooperating therewith disposed at the end of the filtering body.

According to a feature of the invention the means adapted to impartintermittent blows to the rod comprises at least one electromagnetadapted to attract one or more armatures carried by the rod.

According to another feature of the invention the filter housing iscrossed at its lower side by a solvent inlet conduit terminating in anozzle concentric to the body supporting rod and having its outletfacing upwardly beneath the bottom of the filtering body.

According to a further feature of the invention the filter housing has abuilt-in siphon for the outflow of the solvent.

These and further features of the invention will become better apparentfrom the following detailed specification, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an automatic garment dry cleaning machineequipped with a solvent filter according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a vertical center line section through a solvent filteraccording to the invention.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the machine comprises a cleaning drum 1connected to a lint filter or prefilter 2 either directly through aconduit 3 or through a discharge valve 4. The prefilter 2 is connectedthrough a conduit ice 5 to a tank 6 communicating through a conduit 7, asolvent pump 8 and a conduit 9 with a solvent filter 10. The latter isconnected through a conduit 11 to a cleaning drum 1. The solvent filter10 is connected at its bottom for the discharge to the distiller 12,which is connected through a still-condenser unit 13, a decanter 14 anda siphon 15 extending therefrom, to the tank 6.

In one practical embodiment of the invention the prefilter 2 and thepump 8 could be dipped into the tank 6 and in such a case the conduits 5and 7 would be omitted.

All of the mentioned parts of the machine, with the exception of thesolvent filter 10, can be of a conventional type and therefore they willnot be described here in detai As shown in FIG. 2, the filter 10comprises a cylindrical housing 16 supported by a funnel bottom 17secured to the top of a distiller housing 18 perforated at 19 to allowcommunication between the filter and the distiller.

At the lower end of the funnel bottom 17 there is provided at 20 a seatfor a conical valve 21 carried by a rod 22 disposed along the centerline of the cylindrical housing 16 and extending from the top wall 23 ofsaid housing through a hole 24 in a gland guide 25 seated in acorresponding hole in the wall 23. The rod 22 carries at its upper end across-bar 26- secured thereto by means of a nut 27 and a lock-nut 28which are screwed on the threaded end of the rod 22, and carrying ateach end of a block of magnetic material 29 and 30 respectively. Facingeach block 29, 30 is an electromagnet 31 and 32 respectively, secured toa base 33- superimposed upon the top wall 23. A spring 34 interposedbetween the guide 25 and an abutment 36 resting against a nut 35contacting a nut 27 urges steadily the rod 22 upwardly and therefore theblocks 29, 30 in a spaced position with respect to the electromagnets31, 32.

Inside the housing 16 a filtering body 37 is secured to the rod 22 withthe aid of a spring 38 interposed between the top wall 39 of thefiltering body and an abutment 40 secured to the rod 22, as well as asecond spring 41 interposed between an abutment 42 secured to the rod 22and the same top wall 39 of the filtering body, but on the opposite sidewith respect to the spring 38. The filtering body 37, which can be of aconventional type terminates at the lower side in a flared collar 43which is normally urged by the action of the spring 34 against a ring 44projecting from the housing 16 and operating as an abutment for thefiltering body 37.

The funnel bottom wall 17 is perforated to pass a solvent inlet conduit45 terminating in a nozzle 46 disposed centrally, around the rod 22,with the toroidal outlet facing upwardly.

In the side wall of the housing 16 there is at the lower side a hole 47leading to a siphon 48 provided with an outlet 49 for the filteredsolvent.

At its upper side the housing 16 is provided with an air vent hole 50.

The operation of the described solvent filter is as follows:

Under normal operating conditions the spring 34 holds the filtering body37 with its lower collar 43 pressed against the abutment ring 44 toprovide a seal therebetween. The solvent to be filtered entering fromthe conduit 45 flows out from the nozzle 46 and flows upwardly andoutwardly through the filtering wall of the filtering body 37. Thefiltered solvent flows out through the siphon 48 and the opening 49 onlyafter the filter is full, whereas the air bubbles which might developfrom the solvent flow out through the air vent 50.

At the end of the cleaning operation, at predetermined times which aredetermined by a program control of the machine, the electromagnets 31,32 are energized and attract the magnetic blocks 29 and 30 lowering thecross- 3 bar 26 and thus also the rod 22. The downward movement of therod 22 causes the lowering of the collar 43 with respect to the abutmentring 44 and the valve opening 21. Thus, the liquid in the filterdischarges in the distiller lying below.

It should be noted that because of the abrupt attraction caused by theelectromagnet the filtering body 37 receives a blow causing thefiltering powders together with the impurities retained thereby toseparate from the holes of the filtering body and to precipitate intothe distiller.

The deposits which develop in the groove defined by the collar 43 andthe abutment ring 44 are also precipitated by the blow given by theelectromagnets.

When the electromagnets 31, 32 are deenergized the spring 34 returns thefiltering body in the position with the collar 43 abutting the abutmentring 44 and closes the valve 21. The spring 38 serves to assure a safeclosure of the valve 21 and "yet to assure simultaneously a safe contactbetween the collar 43 and the ring 44. The spring 41 serves to storeenergy at the time the electromagnets attract the armatures 2 930 and totransfer it abruptly to the filtering body 37 so as to enhance the bloWgiven to said body to separate the powders and the impurities.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the filter according to theinvention is cleaned fully automatically without requiring the stoppingof the machine. It is the program control that, after some cleaningtime, stops the pump 8, opens the valve 4 for discharging the solventfrom the machine housing and closes the electromagnet circuit.

Besides providing for the described cleaning operation of the filter,which occurs after predetermined cleaning times, the program control ofthe machine also separates the residual powder which might remainattached to the filtering body by means of subsequent small blows givenby means-of the electromagnets at regular times.

Although but one embodiment of this invention has been described, it isobvious that many changes and modifications can be made Withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Asolvent filter for garment dry cleaning machines,

characterized in that it comprises a filter housing disposed above adistiller housing and communicating therewith through an opening in saiddistiller housing, a filter body disposed inside said filter housing, arod carrying at its lower end a valve adapted to close the opening insaid distiller housing and extending at its upper end through the topwall of said filter housing, said filtering body being connected to saidrod by means of a spring interposed between the top wall of saidfiltering body and an abutment secured to said rod beneath said top wallof said filtering body, and means disposed adjacent the upper end ofsaid rod adapted to impart intermittent blows to said rod.

2. A solvent filter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said last mentionedmeans includes at least one electromagnet having an armature connectedwith the rod and which comprises in addition, a spring interposedbetween the top wall of the filtering body and an abutment secured tosaid rod above said top wall.

3. A solvent filter as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that thefilter housing is crossed at its lower side by a solvent inlet conduitterminating in a nozzle concentric to the body supporting rod and havingits outlet facing upwardly beneath the bottom of the filtering body.

4. A solvent filter as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that thefilter housing has a built-in siphon for the outflow of the solvent.

5. A solvent filter as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the rodis connected to the filtering body through a spring interposed betweenan abutment secured to the rod and the top wall of the filtering body atthe outer side of said wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,781,076 11/1930 Palmer 210388 X2,081,009 5/1937 Kelley 210-332 X 2,087,775 7/1937 Matthews 210167 X2,167,236 7/1939 Gieseler 210-388 X 2,836,045 5/1958 Smith 210-167 X3,097,164 7/1963 Shields 2l0167 X REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner.

J. DE. CESARE, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SOLVENT FILTER FOR GARMENT DRY CLEANING MACHINES, CHARACTERIZED INTHAT IT COMPRISES A FILTER HOUSING DISPOSED ABOVE A DISTILLER HOUSINGAND COMMUNICATING THEREWITH THROUGH AN OPENING IN SAID DISTILLERHOUSING, A FILTER BODY DISPOSED INSIDE SAID FILTER HOUSING, A RODCARRYING AT ITS LOWER END A VALVE ADAPTED TO CLOSE THE OPENING IN SAIDDISTILLER HOUSING AND EXTENDING AT ITS UPPER END THROUGH THE TOP WALL OFSAID FILTER HOUSING, SAID FILTERING BODY BEING CONNECTED TO SAID ROD BYMEANS OF A SPRING INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE TOP WALL OF SAID FILTERING BODYAND AN ABUTMENT SECURED TO SAID ROD BENEATH SAID TOP WALL OF SAIDFILTERING BODY, AND MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF SAID RODADAPTED TO IMPART INTERMITTENT BLOWS TO SAID ROD.